US army brigade in Germany temporarily banned from alcohol consumption

Five soldiers were charged for driving scooters while over the legal alcohol limit

NUREMBERG:

A US Army brigade has been confined to its base during the evening and temporarily banned from consuming alcohol after five of its personnel were charged with driving scooters under the influence of alcohol in Nuremberg on July 4, CNN reported.

US Army Spokesperson in Europe John Tomassi said that the five soldiers were together on the 4th of July weekend when they were indicted for being over the legal alcohol limit in Germany.

“The army is investigating the incident,” Tomassi added.

The entirety of the First Armored Brigade Combat Team, consisting of 3,000 soldiers, were told that they could not leave their base during the night and that alcohol had been banned until the unit was trained on obeying German driving laws regarding drinking and driving.

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Tomassi maintained that the training would most likely be completed this weekend.

The troops unit is based at Fort Stewart, Georgia and has been deployed to Germany as part of the US military's plan to assure US allies in eastern Europe due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The troops have largely been working out of the Grafenwoehr Training Area.

“The leaders of the brigade took the disciplinary action to make sure soldiers understand the rules of the host nation," Tomassi said.

Alcohol consumption by soldiers has been an important matter across the US military as it can cause misbehaviour on and off base.

However, an army official disclosed that some senior military personnel suggested lessening alcohol restrictions in the barracks in an effort to reduce potential misbehaviour.